Apply garlic paste to the soles of your feet to relieve cough

Coughing is a common symptom in life, which may be caused by external wind-cold, wind-heat, or smoking. The reasons are varied. In treatment, the cause of cough should be treated. Here is a little folk remedy - apply garlic paste on the Yongquan acupoint.

The specific method is

Mash the garlic into a paste, knead it into a cake shape, apply it to the Yongquan acupoint on the sole of the patient's foot, secure it with tape, and put on socks if it's cold. Yongquan acupoint is located in the depression on the front part of the sole of the human foot. The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine says: "The Yongquan point comes out of the kidney, and the Yongquan point is the center of the foot." Yongquan is a frequently used acupuncture point of the kidney, and is often used to prevent and treat asthma, kidney deficiency, insomnia, neurasthenia, hypertension, deafness and tinnitus. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that garlic is pungent and warm in nature, and can warm the spleen and stomach, promote the flow of qi, eliminate accumulation, detoxify and kill insects. "Compendium of Materia Medica" believes that "Garlic, applied to the soles of the feet, can draw heat downward, treat diarrhea, violent shoulders, dry and wet cholera, and stop epistaxis."

Can applying garlic paste to Yongquan acupoint relieve cough?

The answer is yes, but only for some patients with cough. Western medicine believes that garlic has a strong stimulating effect, which can cause peripheral blood vessels to dilate and achieve the purpose of relieving cough through nerve reflex arcs. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the lungs control Qi, and the kidneys control the intake of Qi. One is the master of Qi, and the other is the root of Qi. Therefore, cough is closely related to the kidneys. Yongquan acupoint belongs to the foot Shaoyin Kidney Meridian. The kidney meridian goes upward, passes through the liver into the lungs, goes down the throat, and reaches the tongue. Mashed garlic is pungent and warm in nature. It can often warm the lung qi and kidney yang along the meridians, and at the same time guide the fire back to its origin. Therefore, this method is more effective for cough caused by wind-cold invading the lungs or kidney yin deficiency.

It should be pointed out that applying garlic paste on the soles of feet for a period of time will cause burning sensation on the skin. It is generally applied at night and removed in the morning. If you feel burning and uncomfortable during the process, you can take it off. Children's skin is delicate and the skin sensitivity of diabetic patients decreases, so special care should be taken when using it. According to traditional Chinese medicine theory, if you have a cough and phlegm, you can add French pinellia, white mustard seeds, etc. to the mashed garlic.